Automatic combined damper and drifting-valve.



H. B. OATLEY.

AUTOMATIC COMBINED DAMPER AND DRIFTING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19. 191s.

1,075,1 .57. Patented 0m, 1913.

a I 4 /IW/EIVTOR WITNE88E8 5y HE/VFJ B. OliT L %7LLM A a W m ATTORNEYS um ran sires? HENRY'B. OATLEY, OF FLUSHING, NEW

arm sips.

YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 LO COIVIOTIVE SUPER- HEATEB- COMPALTY, OF NEVJ YORK, N. Y., A CORDRATION OF DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC COMBINED DAMPER AND DRIFTING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 7, 1913.

Application filed April 19, 1913. Serial No. 762,251.

1 b all whom, it may, comer n..."

Be it known that l, HENRY B. OATLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resi dent of Flushing, borough of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic tombined Dampers and DriftingValves, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to an automatic combined damper and drifting valve for steam engines and is particularly useful in connection with steam locomotives, While in such locomotives equipped with superheaterso'lj' the smoke or line tube my invention will, perhaps, find its greatestfield of use fulness.

In steam locomotives having superheaters ot' the type mentioned it has been usual to provide in the smoke box a damper by means of which the passage of flue gases through the smoke tubes could be regulated; see 6. 9., Patents 703,482 to Schmidt and Thomson, 795,260 to Cole and Oatley and 823,551 Schmidt. Generally such dampers are operated automatically, being connected with a suitable steam valve so arranged that when steam is shut oil from the engine cylinders or steam chests the damper closes, while when steam-is turned on the damper opens. It has been found that, whenever steam is thus shut oil and the engine is running idle, as it must be for a time before it comes to rest, or when the engine is coasting down grade with throttle closed, the lubricating oil necessarily supplied under such conditions is very apt to carbonize in the cylinders as soon as the steam is entirely out of them, probably on account of the dryness and high temperature of the parts. This is particularly true when using superheated steam in locomotives,- as the temperature of the parts is then extremely high. It has also been found that, ii a small quantity of steam, not suiiioiont to exercise any apple ciable driving force, be admitted into the cylinder under these circumstances, a great part-of this carbonization will be prevented.

It is the object of my invention to so combin damper and steam valve for operat- 0 same that not only will the damper ,close and open automatically as steam is shutolll'rcm or permitted to enter the cylinders, but that, also, the small quantity of sa necessary to prevent carbonization may be automatically admitted to the cylinders as the damper closes.

More particularly, it is the object of my invention to so arrange a steam valve that it will not only close and open the damper as the main throttle is closed and opened, but will also admit and shutoii an independent small steam supply to the cylinders at corresponding times, such steam supply being for the purpose of preventing carbonization.

My invention will be better understood by referring to the drawings in which- Figure 1 represents an axial vertical section through a steam valve combined with a damper, the whole embodying a preferred form of my invention; Fig. 2 is'a horizontal section, part plan, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 side elevation, on a reduced scale, of the structure-set forth in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is an end view, taken from the right, of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, a suitably formed casting 1 having a bracket 2 so arranged as to be bolted to and fixed upon the outside of the boiler shell 3, is provided with bearings which carry one end of a damper shaft 4 upon which is fixed the damper The outer end of shaft 4 also carries an arm provided with a counterweight 6 by means of which the damper tends to remain closed except when opened and held open by the positive action of the steam as will be hereinafter described. One end of casting 1 is bored cylindrically so as to constitute a valve chamber 6 closed at its outer end by a 7 and fitted with a slidable hollow piston or valve member 8 adapted to have a convenient linear range of movement in said chamber. The inner end of the piston is prolonged as a central operating rod 9 which projects through the end wall of the valve chamber and is slidably fitted therein. This rod is provided with a central vertical slot 10 in which rests a crank arm. 11 keyed to shaft l.- he end of rod 9 is slidably fitted to a bore 12 closed at the end by a screw cap 13. A pair of piston rings 14 is provided for each end of the valve incur her and a peripheral groove 15 occupies a space between these rings.

to the boiler, opens through the wallet the valve chamber so as to be always connect- A pipe 16, preferably connected directly chamber or at the other. pipe 17 going to the steam chests, also opens ed with the aforesaid peripheral groove whether the piston be at one end of the A second steam through the Wall of the valve chamber but is so positioned that it only communicates with the peripheral groove 15 when the valve member is at the extreme right; a bypass 18 connects pipe 17 with the space 19, between the end of the valve member and the cap 7, due to the abutting bosses 21. A vent hole opens to the atmosphere from the inner end of the valve chamber.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the engine is running idle, that is, with steam shut oil from the steam chests, the position of the parts is as shown in the drawings, and steam from the main steam supply passes through pipe 16, around the peripheral groove 15 and through pipe 17 to the steam chests and thence to and through the' cylinders. The quantity of steam passing through pipe 16 should not be more than a certain determined maximum and this may be regulated in any suitable way. The piston is kept in the extreme right hand position by reason of the counterweight 6 which acts through arm 11 upon the rod 12 connected with the valve member. The steam is again turned on and allowed to flow into the cylinders through .the steam chests from the main supply pipe,

the pipe 17 will fill with live steam from the steam chests; thence'steam will be conveyed through by-pass 18 into the space 19 and the interior of the piston so as to exert a pressure tending to move the .valve 1nemher to the left and to overcome the pressure due to the counterweight. The damper will thus open and be held open While the throttle remains open. As the piston moves to the left when the damper is open or to the right when the damper is closed, the vent 20 and the bore 12 insure a suitable cushioning effect so that the movement of damper and valve, while positive is smooth and gentle.

l/Vhile I have described a specific embodiment of my invention the same is not confined to the exact construction described and shown in the drawings, and any changes may be made within thespirit of the invention which is defined in the following claims:

I claim 1. In a steam engine, the combination of a casing provided with valve chamber, a slidable piston provided'with a peripheral groove within said chamber, a damper operatively connected with said piston to move Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the the same in one direction and tending to remain normally closed, a steam pipe between valve chamber and boiler always open into the groove, and a second steam pipe between valve chamber andengine cylinder, always open to one end of the piston but closed to the groove except when the damper is closed, pressure of steam against the piston end and the force due to the damper acting oppositely to one another.

'2. In a steam engine, the combination of a casing provided with valve chamber, a slidable piston provided with a peripheral groove within said chamber, a damper directly connected with said piston to move the same in one direction and tend' g to remain. normally closed, a steam pipe between valve chamber and boiler always open into the groove, and a second steam pipe between valve chamber and engine cylinder, always open to one end of the piston but closed to the groove except when the damper is closed, pressure of steam against the piston end and the force due to the damper acting oppositely to one another.

3. In a steam engine, the combination of a valve chamber, a hollow slidable piston open at one end and provided with a peripheral groove within said chamber, a damper directly connected to said piston so as to move therewith, a pipe between boiler and Valve chamber which opens only into the groove, and a second pipe between valve chamber and engine cylinder opening into the groove when the damper is closed and closed to the groove when the damper is open said second pipe having a by-pass' always open into the open end of the piston.

4. In a steam engine, a casting adapted to be bolted to the boiler and provided with hearings to take a damper shaft and also with a cylindrical valve chamber, a slidable piston having an operating rod for connection to said damper shaft and a peripheral groove, a pipe between boiler and valve chamber which opens only into the groove, a second pipe between valve chamber and engine cylinder opening into the groove when the damper is closed and closed to the groove when the damper is open said second pipe having a bypass always open into the end of the valve chamber opposite said operating rod.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY B. OATLl'lY. Witnesses:

JAMES K. Soo'r'r, JOHN P. McJinroN.

'Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

